Railway car end



April 26, 1949. V 3, DEAN 2,468,590

RAILWAY CAR END Filed Oct. 2, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ALBERT G.DEAN BY I I TTORNY April 26, 1949. A, G. DEAN 2,468,590

RAILWAY GAR END Filed Oct. 2, 1945 3 She ets-Sheet 2 l INVENTOR ALBERTG. DEAN ATTORNEY April 26, 1949. A. G. DEAN RAILWAY CAR END 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 2, 1945 INVENTOR ALBERT G.D-EAN ATTORNEY FIG]Patented Apr. 26, 1949 RAILWAY CAR END Albert G. Dean, Narberth, Pa.,assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application October 2, 1945, Serial No. 619,824

9 Claims.

The invention relates to railway cars, and particularly to the endconstruction of such cars as are adapted to be coupled to other similarcars and are provided with inner and outer diaphragms, the inner forminga passageway between cars and the outer providing a streamlinedcontinuation of the sides and top of the car.

In such coupled car end constructions, it is usual to provide adiaphragm face plate surrounding the doorway opening in the car end,which is yieldingly urged outwardly to engage fiatwise a similar faceplate on an adjacent car coupled to it, and to provide an innerdiaphragm extending between the face plate and the sides and top of thedoorway opening and a bottom walkway between the bottom or buffer memberof the face plate and the car platform, this diaphragm and walkwayforming a closed passageway between coupled cars. It is further usual toprovide an outer frame supported from the car end or face plate andconforming to the contour of the sides and top of the car and urgedoutwardly into substantial engagement with a similar frame on anadjoining coupled car. An outer diaphragm extends between this outerframe and the sides and top of the car to form a streamline extension ofits sides and top and to provide, with a similar outer diaphragm on anadjoining coupled car, a streamline closure between the coupled carends.

With such an arrangement, water draining from the substantially flatcentral portion of the roof of the car flows across the top portion ofthe outer diaphragm and enters between the adjoining outer frames anddrops down, some of it finding its way between the adjoining face platesof two adjoining coupled cars and dropping on persons passing throughthe passageway between are or wetting the floor of the passageway andairing it slippery, thereby constituting a double azard to personspassing from car to car. Also, he extension of the outer diaphragmacross the op between. outer frame and the car end wall cessitates theremoval of the central portion least of this diaphragm to gain access tocar isting means provided on the car end wall bend the roof properbefore the hoisting gear can lowered from above to engage said means.

It is an object of the invention to solve both .-.ese dimculties by oneand the same simplified onstruction.

object is attained by providing a transverse drainage trough at the endof the roof of the car which extends from side to side of the passagewaydisposed the-rebelow, and in discharging the water entering the troughfrom the end of the roof proper laterally to the outside of the innerdiaphragm. To allow the water to drain from the roof proper into thetrough, the outer diaphragm is omitted in the region over the trough,and the drain openings at the sides of the trough, provided in this casethrough the vertical door posts, which are extended to the roof, serveat the same time as means for recfiiving books or the like of hoistinggear, which are at all times accessible for attaching the hoisting gearthereto from above.

This and other objects and advantages and the manner in which they areattained will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the drawin s forming a part of thisspecification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view, more or less diagrammatic, showingthe invention applied to the coupled ends of two cars of a train ofcars;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged detail sectional view, the section beintaken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse vertical sectional view, thesection being taken substantially along the line 44 of Figs. 2 and 6;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view takensubstantially along the line 5 of Figs. 2 and 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of the structurewithin the dot-and-dash rectangle A of Fig. 2, the plane of sectionbeing indicated by the line 6fi of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged end elevational view of one of the cars shown inFigs. 1 and 2 The end wall of each of the two .cars to which theinvention has been shown applied is designated generally by numeral l9and comprises, as main structural members thereof, the door posts IIwhich are of longitudinally deep box pros-section and extend above thedoorway opening 12, Fig. 5, in the end wall substantially to the roofL3. The roof proper is a stron compression-resisting structurecomprising transverse car-lines (not shown) to which are securedlongitudinally cor.- rugated metal sheathing l4 and spaced longitudinalpurlines l5 aligned with the posts and extended at their ends over thetops of the respective posts. Generous gussets l6 tie the tops of theposts into the roof structure. A Z-section frame member ll connects theend wall with the 3 roof sheathing and the body side walls, see Figs. 3and 5.

Adjacent the top, the posts are provided according to the invention withtransverse openings l8 which are reinforced by annular filler pieces I8interposed between the side walls of th posts and surrounding theopenings therein, these filler pieces being integrally united to theside Walls of the posts as by arc welding. It is these openings whichserve to receive the hoisting gear for lifting the car end.

The particular form of the face plate and the outer frame, and theparticular form of the inner and outer diaphragms which connect theseparts to the car end wall are immaterial except as hereinafter pointedout. Nor is the particular manner in which the face plate is mounted onthe end wall material. All that is required is that the face plate ofthe car he so constructed and mounted that it is urged outwardly, i. e.,longitudinally beyond and away from the end wall at all times, even whenrounding curves, to en gage flatwise against the corresponding faceplate of an adjoining car. Similarly, the outer frame need only be somounted as to be urged constantly away from the end wall of its car intosubstantial engagement with the adjoining frame of such other car.

The particular manner of constructing and mounting these parts forms nopart of the invention, and they are shown herein merely as illustrativeof an embodiment with which the invention may be employed.

Referring to Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the face plate is designated generallyas H! and surrounds the end doorway opening of the car. At the bottom,it is supported for the usual in and out angling movements byconventional spring-pressed center and side stems (not shown) and at thetop by a conventional leaf spring secured at its center to the back ofthe face plate and at its ends bearing against the car end wall. Theweight of the face plate may be carried by suitable vertically extendingbearer rods I 90. (see Fig. 7) pivotally connected at their upper endsto the car end wall and at their lower ends to the face plate onopposite sides of the doorway i2, respectively.

At the sides and top, the face plate is connected to the car end by theinner flexible diaphragm 2 I, as clearly appears in Figs. 4 and 5.

The outer frame may comprise two lateral portions 22, 22 each hinged attop and bottom to an upward extension of the face plate and to the loweror buffer member thereof, respectively, these hinged connections beingshown in Fig. '7 at 23 and 24, respectively.

The outer margins of these lateral frame portions 22 are urged outwardlyby suitable means such as the multiple leaf springs. Leaf 25 at th topis secured centrally to the face plate and bears through its ends on therespective lateral portions 22. At the bottom, separate multiple leafsprings as 26 are secured to the buffer or bottom portion of the faceplate at their inner ends and bear through their outer free ends againstthe respective outer frame portions 22. At the top, the lateral frammembers 22 closely approach each other near the longitudinal centerplane of the car and a flexible outer diaphragm 21, which mayconveniently be constructed in three portions, two side portions and atop portion, extends between the peripheral margin of the members 22 tothe car end and forms a streamline continuation of the sides and of theroof proper of the car.

According to the invention, a transverse trough 28 is provided at th endof the roof and extends between the posts II. This trough, best shown inFigs. 2, 4, 5 and 6, is formed by an outer plate or plates 29 securedacross the vertical end faces of the posts, the end wall plating 30 anda bottom channel section plate 3| secured through its side walls to theplates 29 and 30 and having its bottom secured as by angles 32 to theinner sides of the posts II at about the level of the bottoms of theopenings 18 therein.

Above this trough, the outer diaphragm 2'! is omitted, but between thetops of outer frame portions 22 and through wall or plate 29, which aresubstantially at the level of the roof sheathing, extends and is secureda section of the outer diaphragm.

Thus it will be seen that by this arrangement ar retained all theadvantages of the outer and inner diaphragm arrangements of the priorart without their disadvantages. The trough; leads all the waterdraining from the end of the roof proper between the posts laterallythrough the openings in the posts to the outside of the inner diaphragm.Thus the hoisting openings provided in the posts have this additionalfunction of providing drainage discharge openings, and since thediaphragm is omitted over the trough, they are at all times readilyaccessible for the attachment of suitable hoisting gear from above.

While the invention has herein been described in detail in connectionwith specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is notrestricted to such embodiments but that changes and modifications may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the mainfeatures thereof; a variation or improvement of the embodiment disclosedhere is, for instance, disclosed in th inventors copending applicationEnd wall for railway cars, Serial No. 782,005, filed October 24, 1947.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway car and comprising a roof proper, an end wall having spaceddoor posts thereon extending substantially to the roof and projectingendwise of the car beyond the end of the roof proper, transverseopenings in said door posts adjacent their upper ends, and trough meansextending between said posts and disposed under the roof end to catchthe water draining off the end of the roof proper and discharge itlaterally through said openings in the door posts.

2. A railway car end comprising an end wall, a roof proper and sidewalls connected thereto, a transversely extending trough secured to saidend wall adjacent the roof and adapted to catch water draining off theend of the roof proper and discharge it laterally, a diaphragm supportcarried outwardly of the end wall and having its outer peripheryconforming generally to the car sides and roof proper, and a flexiblediaphragm connecting said support with the sides and roof proper exceptin the region of said trough, where it is omitted over the trough andsecured instead to the outer side wall of the trough.

3. A railway car end comprising a roof proper, an end wall having spacedvertical posts extending substantially to the roof, transverse hoistingopenings in said posts adjacent their upper ends, and trough meansbetween said posts and in position to catch water draining off the endof the roof proper, the bottom of said trough means being substantiallyat the level of said openings to direct the water falling into thetrough laterally through said openings.

4. A railway car comprising an end wall, a roof proper connectedthereto, spaced vertical posts forming parts of said end wall andextending substantially to the roof, transverse hoisting openings in thesaid posts adjacent their upper ends, a drain trough extendingtransversely between said posts with its bottom at the level of saidopenings and adapted to catch water draining off the adjacent end of theroof proper, a diaphragm support carried outwardly of the end wall andhaving its outer periphery conforming generally to the car sides androof proper, and a flexible diaphragm connecting said support with thesides and roof except in the region of the trough Where it is omittedover the trough.

5. A railway car end comprising a roof proper, an end wall having spacedvertical posts extending vertically substantially to, and longitudinallybeyond, the roof proper, and transverse hoist openings in said postsadjacent their upper ends.

6. A railway car end comprising a roof proper, an end wall having spacedvertical posts of hollow form extending vertically substantially to, andlongitudinally beyond, the roof proper, and transverse hoist openings insaid posts adjacent their upper ends, said openings being reinforced byannular filler pieces extending between and securely united to the sidewalls of the respective posts.

'7. In a railway car, an end wall, an elongated reinforcement secured toand extending vertically across said wall, a trough structure extendingfrom and transversely to said reinforcement in the upper region of saidend wall, a transverse opening in said reinforcement communicating withsaid trough structure for the discharge of water collected by saidtrough structure.

8. In a railway car, an end wall, a pair of hollow-section collisionposts secured to the outside of said Wall, a roof having its one endsecured to the top margin of said wall, a pair of hollow sectionpurlines forming part of said roof and each one of them arranged in onevertical plane with one of said posts, said purlines extending inoutboard direction beyond said end wall thereby closing the upper endsof said posts.

9. In a railway car, an end wall, a pair of hollow-section collisionposts secured to the outside of said wall, a roof having its one endmargin secured to the top margin of said wall, a pair of hollow sectionpurlines forming part of said roof and each one of them arranged in onevertical plane with one of said posts, said purlines extending inoutboard direction beyond said end wall where they are connected withand thereby close the upper ends of said posts, the walls of said postsextendin in the longitudinal direction of the car having openingsadjacent their connection with the purlines, an annular insert in eachof said posts surrounding said openings and structurally connected withthe walls of said posts to serve as ears for lifting the car, the weightof the car when lifted by the ears being transferred from the ears tothe posts and purlines and thence distributed into the end wall androof.

ALBERT G. DEAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,322,192 Jones June 15, 19432,355,260 Pihl et a1. Aug. 8, 1944

